Wednesday, November 27, 2019

#35 - Martha - Blisters in the Pit of My Heart

35. Martha - Blisters in the Pit of My Heart
Dirtnap, 2016
That the English group Martha has their roots in a village called Pity Me sounds like fake lore that bands make up to give themselves an air of mystery (see: Arcade Fire). But no! Sometimes things just work out perfectly. You know works out perfectly? Martha’s sophomore LP Blisters in the Pit of My Heart. The 2010s was finding music that appeased both my punk rock heard and my indie rock brain. It’s why you get Los Campesinos!, Hop Along, Joyce Manor, and fiercely contending for spots on my favorite albums and favorite songs of the decade lists. Martha is firmly in that indie-punk-rock mold with a lot of bedroom power-pop thrown in for good measure. 

I feel like every year this decade had one album that was just like, solid as a rock (though it was an honorable mention, Muncie Girls’ 2018 LP Fixed Ideals is one of those albums) where every song is great and you wouldn’t dare skip to your favorite track (because they’re all your favorite track). Standouts here include “Goldman’s Detective Agency,” “Do Whatever,” “The Awkward Ones,” and the phenomenal single “Curly & Raquel” (which will make an appearance relatively high up on my favorite songs of the decade list). The melodies are out of control. The guitar solos are janky as hell and it feels like every song has one. Blisters in the Pit of My Heart is bursting with joy, and for someone who listens to a lot of sad bastard music that is more than welcome.

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